Curs in the Weeds
by PianoxLullaby
Summary: When Kagome is forced to switch schools due to frequent absences, she finds herself unfamiliar with a new neighborhood and winds up in the gang-ridden side of town. When lost and attacked by a group of thugs, she's saved by an unpleasant and stubborn boy named Inuyasha, and finds herself captivated by the mystery of his upbringing and home-life. AU. InuKag and MiroSan.
1. Unlikely Friends

**WARNING: **

**THIS FANFIC INCLUDES SCENES OF VIOLENCE, SEXUAL ASSAULT, GRAPHIC LANGUAGE AND **

**DEATH OF A FAMILY MEMBER. PLEASE BE AWARE AND CAUTIOUS. THANK YOU.**

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**ONE. Unlikely Friends**

He hadn't ever seen fear in her eyes before. But this was more than just fear—she had fury burning in her for him. She was shaking in the alley, lips glossed over with blood, hair clinging to her face in the pouring rain. He just stared at her broken body, heart beating viciously and unable to breathe. There wasn't any way he could bring himself to believe any of this was real. This wasn't supposed to happen...

Sobs began to erupt from her bloody mouth tangled with angry, hurt cries. She breathed desperately, grasping onto words with the little strength she had left inside. "...Why!?" she pleaded, her voice reflecting her despair in such a way that he felt chills run through him, "Why... did you," she choked, "... b-betray me!?"

It was all so much; it was too much for him to handle. Her little body was mangled, her eyes black and swollen and her hair tangled around her body. She was laying there in a heap against the alley, thrown to the ground like a rag-doll in the rain. He knew it was her, though he barely recognized her. He slowly made his way over to her side, falling to his knees and begging himself to speak the words he was thinking.

"Who did this to you?" he asked in distress, voice cracking and lips quivering. He reached his arms out to her, so frightened and unsure, mind racing.

"_Stay away from me_!"

Her voice had stabbed at his eardrums, stopping his heart and stealing away his breath. She had never been frightened of him, never so repulsed by his presence. He didn't understand and he felt his heart begin to break. "What happened to you?" he cried. "Who did this to you!?"

But all she could do was sob into the downpour, holding her dying body. Each cry brought her closer to her last breath. She was so scared and in so much pain. It was all she could do to focus on her surroundings as her vision began to blur and darken. It was all she could do to breathe as her own blood began to drown her. She just wanted to wake up. She wanted her family. She wanted to live just a little while longer...

**TWO YEARS LATER**

It had been a long time since Kagome had felt so awkward and out-casted like this. She wasn't familiar with this side of town yet at all, and she had found herself lost on more than one occasion. While, lately, she had been keeping an eye on her more odd habits, more than a handful of the people in the community believed she might have escaped from a local asylum, having witnessed her talking to herself openly and without shame. If only they'd known the trials she had been through, maybe they wouldn't be judging her so harshly.

Besides her ignorance of the area, Kagome was also in distress over her school uniform, or lack thereof. She'd been going to this new school for two weeks and still her order hadn't come in. It would've been nice to be able to fit in with the rest of the kids in her class, or at least make her stand out less. She was _that girl_; a new student who used to attend the Shikon Academy on the more prestigious side of town. Without a uniform, Kagome had no way of pretending she wasn't an outsider. She was ready to just disappear into the crowd. The last thing she needed was the stress of her peers on her shoulders.

"Please, don't get lost today!" she said to herself under her breath. She continued on through the unfamiliar streets that only seemed to grow more unfamiliar as she went. Intuition had left her completely and now her predicament was plastered all over her face, hiding no signs of worry and frustration that had begun to torment her. "Of course," she sighed, "I can't get through one day without something bad happening!"

She started walking more quickly now, looking from side-to-side at the buildings and homes she was passing along the way. Kagome started to notice garbage piling up in the streets, graffiti on shop windows painted over protective bars. She could have sworn she had seen two different police cruisers creeping by through the near suburbs, and domestic disturbances seemed to be ringing in from all directions. She knew she was far away from home, now.

The sound of sirens began to cry out from nearby, and she could feel herself growing uneasy. "And of course I left my phone at home," she muttered to herself, arms folded and eyes wide. It was then that she began to feel eyes on her from all around, though when she turned to face them, every head was downturned. Every body busy with personal errands. This was the most uneasy feeling she had ever experienced, and now she was really wishing she had asked her mother to pick her up from school today. "What am I gonna do?"

Kagome veered around the corner, the overwhelming feeling of being watched growing more and more sinister. Her heart was starting to beat out-of-control and she was almost running through the streets by now. _Which way do I go? I just want to be on the other side of town! _It didn't make her feel any better to see that the sun was starting to set, knowing how much more difficult it would be to make her way home in the dark and how much more unsettling walking alone in an unknown area would be. "Today is just not my day."

The streetlights were starting to turn on in the twilight. _Mom's gotta be getting worried about me by now,_ she thought, suddenly aware of the man following closely behind her. Her first instinct told her to reach into her bag and equip herself with the pepper spray her mother had bought for her a few months ago per her request. It wasn't that Kagome felt weak or paranoid, she just wanted to feel prepared.

"Where 're you goin', sweetie?" a man snickered behind her. Kagome shot him a glare, speeding up her pace and rushing onwards in a direction she prayed would lead her back to the safe side of town. When she turned to face the man again, she realized she was being followed by what would be considered a crowd of men, now. She hadn't been so worried about taking on one man, maybe even two at worst, but a gang? Now she was terrified.

She started running. The adrenalin was building up inside of her and she knew she should scream out for help but the words wouldn't come. Her knuckles began to turn white as she gripped onto the pepper-spray. Where should she go? Why wasn't there someone around to stop this? What was going to happen to her?

Despite her attempts at out-running them, they finally cornered her somewhere in a barren cul de sac, the homes surrounding boarded up and decaying, completely void of inhabitants. Though she were terrified, she stood her ground, holding out her pepper spray and ready to use it within an instant. "Leave me alone," she said sternly, not allowing even a slight crack in her voice. She took steady breaths, keeping her eyes on each of them. She counted. 5 of them. Was there really any hope for her at this point?

They all cackled at her weak defense, hooting and hollering at her. "I like 'em feisty," one called while another mumbled something vulgar to the other. She watched as they came closer and closer to her, one leading the pack. Kagome reminded herself to get a good look at each of them—remember their appearance. If she weren't abducted or killed, she'd need this information to hunt them down. She really hoped that it wouldn't have to come to that.

"Why don't you come spend some time with us, sweetie?" the leader demanded more than suggested, reaching out and taking hold of her wrist. Instantly, she sprayed the man, barely missing his eyes, though the smell of it still burned in his nose. He didn't let go of his grip on her, though, only tightened it, pulling her down towards the ground as he growled out into the empty suburbs while his posse gathered more closely around her, her pepper spray falling from her grip. "You little bitch!" Kagome kicked at shins, bit at fingers, screamed and wriggled around, making her body impossible to bind and carry off. Somebody had to of heard this ruckus they were all making. Somebody would have to come to her aid any minute now. Hopefully.

But they were getting smarter about their offense. Two men grabbed each of her legs and their strength surpassed her own. She didn't give up, though. She continued to struggle against them, kicking and squirming around. One of them grabbed her wrist and held her down while the leader sat on top of her stomach, pulling a switchblade out from his pocket. She couldn't breathe and now the reality of her situation _really _started to sink in. Her inability to protect herself had become so frustrating and horrifying, and she could feel the hot tears begin to form in her eyes. What was going to happen to her?

A flash of red and white. One of the men holding her ankles was kicked directly in the chest, knocking him over, while this mysterious figure in red grabbed at the other one's collar and punched him mercilessly across the face, knocking him over right beside the other one. "What in the fuck!?" the leader called out, gripping onto his switchblade and preparing himself to deal some fatal blows. But this boy was already prepared for this, equipping himself with his own switchblade and stabbing the leader in his side right below the ribcage. It was as the leader doubled over in pain beside her on the black-top that she realized the other two men had run off before this white-haired man could waste them, too.

Kagome barely had a grip on what was going on around her. The boy in red grabbed her wrist and pulled her up to her feet and practically dragging her out of the cul de sac and back into the streets of town. He didn't let go of her until they were maybe half a mile away and in a secluded alley-way someplace. At this point, Kagome wasn't so sure how she felt about that. She could see that he was wearing a red leather jacket; ripped and weathered, his waist-length white hair braided with a red beanie, baggie red pants and a pair of silver converse. His belt was decorated in a light fur, and the muscle shirt-he wore underneath the jacket was a light beige. In the dark, she couldn't tell what his eye-color was, but she could see his long, dirty fingernails and could swear his canine teeth were filed down like fangs. Maybe he wasn't her hero after all. He certainly looked like a thug. Maybe even a monster.

"Are you alright?" he asked with a rough voice, looking at her with judgemental eyes, thumbs resting in his belt-loops as he leaned against the wall of the alley. Now that her mind wasn't racing so much, she could tell that he couldn't be much older than she was. He seemed cold and even bratty. Not the type of guy who would rescue someone at all.

She nodded, wondering if this was just a nice-guy act or not. "Yeah. Thank you for saving me," she replied, her voice showing a hint of caution. Suddenly, she thought about how much her mother must have been worrying about her. "I know you've already done a huge favor for me, but could you give me directions to the police station?"

His top lip curled up and his eyes seemed to glare at her in disgusted disbelief. "Police station? You aren't from this area, are you?"

"Why, what's wrong with the police station around here?"

"They aren't on your side, I can tell you that much. You're better off going home and forgetting it ever happened. And _never_ come back 'round here again."

Kagome was appalled. "Why doesn't somebody do something about them then? That's unacceptable!"

The boy shrugged, obviously without a single care about the situation of it. "There's nothing anyone can do about it." He took a good look at her clothing, making her feel a little uncomfortable. "You're from the Shikon District, aren't you?" The way he asked her this, he seemed unimpressed and maybe even a little disgusted.

"Used to be. I'm in the Miho District now, which explains why I'm here—"

"Uh, how?"

She gave him a dirty look. "I was going to explain! It explains why I'm here because I'm not very familiar with the Miho District and I got lost. So if you're not going to give me directions to a police station, could you at least help me get back to my own neighborhood? At the very least?" As unpleasant as this guy was, she knew there was no way she'd make it back home safely if he didn't escort her back.

He raised a brow, obviously not too interested in her plea. "Are you kidding me? First I save your life and now you want me to take you home? Since when did I become a baby-sitter?"

"Come on, please!?" she would beg if she had to. She really didn't want to walk home in the dark all alone with no sense of direction.

He sighed. "Alright, fine. Come on, this way," he began walking back out into the streets and out of the alley, his pace rather fast. Kagome followed behind, jogging to catch up with him.

She went to call out his name, but suddenly realized she had never gotten it from him. Finally making it to his side, she asked, "So, what's the name of my hero, anyway?"

At the word "hero" he crinkled up his nose as if he'd smelled something bad. "I'm no hero. And it's Inuyasha."

"Inuyasha!? What kind of name is that, that's not a real name! I wanna know your real name!"

Inuyasha chuckled, arms folded, gaze still looking forward as they talked. "It's a gang name. I don't give out my real name. It's not worth anything, anyways."

Kagome sighed, playing with her fingers. "So you _are _part of a gang. I wondered. Are you part of a good gang, then?" she smiled, staring at him shamelessly.

"No, I'm not part of a gang. At all. You wanna mind your own business?"

"But you just said that—"

"I know what I said! Just... shut up, about it. Jesus Christ, I almost regret saving your sorry ass." His eyes focused on the ground in front of him now, his gaze a glare, though Kagome could have sworn she saw resentment in those eyes when they passed under a street-light.

After a bit of silence, she began to speak again. "Well, I'm Kagome. And I appreciate your kindness, even if you are kind of unpleasant."

Inuyasha scoffed. "You ungrateful bitch! Did you fail Manners in your finishing school?"

She rolled her eyes. "I didn't go to a finishing school, and I'm just telling you the truth. You don't have to be so cold, you know. You don't even know me."

"I know you well enough to know you shouldn't be here and we never should have met."

"You are _stubborn!"_ she gasped, fists clenching as she folded her arms, wondering how long she would be in his company. "And _cruel_!"

"Is that right?" he laughed, rolling his eyes and walking even faster than he already was. "Is your memory that bad that you forget that I'm the one who _came to your rescue?"_ he finished with a falsetto voice, mocking her own.

Kagome desperately tried to keep up with his pace now, practically running beside him. "How old are you anyways? Do your parents know what kind of stuff you do?"

"Don't have any and they wouldn't give a shit anyway!"

"You didn't answer my first question," she asked again, gasping for some air.

"Seventeen."

The answer to his first question suddenly clicked in her head. "You don't have any parents? Who do you live with?" She took back everything she thought about him in that instant alone. No wonder he was so unpleasant and bratty. What on earth kind of past must he have suffered through? Especially living in a place like this?

"When the old man died, my asshole brother took over everything. He hates me and kicked me out of the house. I live wherever the hell I wanna live. In fact, I was trying to enjoy some peace but your screaming was really distracting so I didn't have much of a choice but to go save your ass. If you're gonna get lost, you better start taking some self-defense classes."

"So, you live in the cul de sac?"

"For now. Look, could you stop asking me all these questions? You're starting to piss me off."

"Could you slow down a little?"

Inuyasha grimaced, reluctantly slowing down his pace. "You need to get out more."

"Why don't you be my trainer?" Kagome replied with glee.

"What!?"

"Whaaat? You're the one who said I should take some self-defense classes, and from what I've seen, you seem to know your stuff!" _Cater to his ego, Kagome. He can't say no if I make him feel like a bad-ass. He seems like that type. _

"You're shitting me."

She shook her head.

"Really?"

She nodded. "Really!"

The white-haired boy sighed, scowling and hesitant to agree to such a thing.

"And don't try to hide, I'll just come looking for you!"

"Yeah," he sneered, "and get your ass in trouble again? I think not."

"You wouldn't let me get in trouble again, though!"

She had seen right through him. "Please don't make a dumbass out of yourself any more than you already have. Fine! I'll come to get you, though. Last thing I need is some dumb bitch's life on my hands."

Kagome smiled brightly, as though from ear-to-ear. "Yay! I guess we're friends, then!" Exactly what she wanted.

"Hah! That's a good one."

They finally made it back to the Miho District, Kagome finally familiar with her surroundings. Her home was only a few blocks away, and she knew she could make it there on her own, now. "Thanks for the escort. I'll see you again this weekend, okay? Come get me at one! I'll meet you here again, alright?"

"Sure, sure," he answered with little enthusiasm, already making his way back to his own district. There was something about him that really interested her. She couldn't quite explain it, but she almost felt as though she had known him for years. But she didn't have any memories of a white-haired boy before. Kagome knew she couldn't have known him, but something told her she was connected to him somehow. She had a feeling about him. A feeling that she had to pursue. She was going to get to know this Inuyasha guy. There was so much more to him than what he told, and if anyone was going to find out about it, she was going to be the one.

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**A/N: Okay, so I know I'm supposed to be working on The Lion Returns, but I got inspired to do this fic and I just had to get it down. I have so many ideas and scenes burning inside my mind for this AU and I cannot wait to write them and share them with the rest of the InuKag fandom! I really hope you guys have enjoyed the first chapter! Constructive criticism is always welcome! **

**~Lully**


	2. Determined Sister

**WARNING: THIS FIC CONTAINS SCENES OF VIOLENCE, VULGAR LANGUAGE, SEXUAL ASSAULT,  
DEATH OF A FAMILY MEMBER AND CHILD ABUSE.****PLEASE BE AWARE AND CAUTIOUS. THANK YOU. **

* * *

**Two. Determined Sister**

There were a million other things on her mind, a million other things more important to her than this speeding ticket that was being given to her. "You have a list of speeding offences, Ma'am. Just slow it down. Nothing can be as important as your life," the cop lectured her, handing her the slip as she rolled her eyes and sighed—another one to add to her pile at home.

_Nothing can be as important as your life. _But there _was_ something more important than her life. _If your men were more competent I wouldn't have to rush everywhere, _she thought.

Once the officer was back in his cruiser and out of sight, the young woman pulled her helmet and goggles back over her head and kicked herself back up on her bike, which was lovingly named Kirara, and sped off at top speed down the highway. She weaved in and out of traffic, passing by everyone and taking many other drivers by surprise with her speed. Even if the circumstances were so horrible, she loved to ride her motorcycle through the streets going as fast as Kirara would take her. It was her peaceful solitude.

But sometimes that peace was broken. That officer's forced kindness—the act he put on for her when giving her that ticket—it brought the whole thing back again. They were all so useless. So apathetic. Not a single cop in this town could be trusted to get anything done, to do anything other than play with their dicks and focus on petty crime.

"_Where is he? Please, you have to have found more information! N-new leads!? Something!" she cried frantically at the investigator, speaking loudly enough that she could be heard outside of the office. _

_He took a long, tired sigh. "I think it would be best if you just came to terms with the situation, Sango. He's not coming home... ever." _

She fought back that memory, those words. Tears were not going to blind her today. Not when she was finally getting so close to finding him again. The little bit of stealth she had was going to be put to the test today if she was going to get that vital piece of information. Sango was not going to fail. She refused.

"Where are you, Kohaku?"

*** II ***

Her mother had been almost impossible to deal with when she had finally gotten home the night before, even with Kagome's reassurance that she had made a new friend who helped her on her way home, she paced around the house in distress, practically hovering over her daughter. "You should have let me pick you up, Kagome! What if something bad would have happened to you? What if somebody tried to kidnap you or hurt you? I would never be able to forgive myself! I feel so terrible, letting you walk home when you don't know your way!"

"Mom, _mom_!" Kagome tried to calm her mother, but to no avail, "I was okay! Nothing happened! I'll be alright, I swear!" Despite her reassurance, her mother continued to worry over her for the remainder of the evening. Of course she didn't tell her mother what had actually happened. Her mother didn't need anything else to bring her nightmares or even more worry. She was already suffering enough.

Although yesterday had been a dramatic catastrophe, today was turning out to be quite promising. Kagome's school uniform had finally come in, and she was so excited to finally blend in with the rest of her classmates. She would finally be able to disappear in the crowd, which was the only thing she thought would be able to keep people from asking the miserable questions she had been bombarded with for the past two years. Kagome just wanted to be normal—she was tired of always standing out.

Stepping outside, she took a deep breath of the fresh air; as fresh as city air could be. She was relieved to see the weather was nice today, considering she didn't know where she and Inuyasha would be training at. With the heat and the sunlight, Kagome didn't think she could bear being forced inside. She needed to feel the sun on her skin.

Walking along to the street corner to meet Inuyasha, she noticed just how peaceful her neighborhood was compared to the Feudal District. It certainly put her at ease to be in such calm surroundings. What must growing up in such a place do to a person? What on earth would it be like? Kagome couldn't imagine that it would be very pleasant. Nor healthy, actually.

Leaning against the stop-sign at the corner, the white-haired youth was already waiting for her, which kind of surprised Kagome. He didn't seem like he was too interested in this deal she forced him into. She actually expected him to be late, or maybe to not show up at all. Did he just not have anything better to do with his time?

"'Bout time you showed up," he mumbled, hands in his pockets as he looked at her from the bottom of his eyes.

"What do you mean by that? I'm perfectly on time, you're just early!" Kagome spat back, showing her lack of desire to put up with his unpleasant attitude. "Excited?" She grinned at him, having quickly dropped her defensive tone.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes and crossed his arms and one foot over the other, still leaning up against the stop-sign. "Are you high? I'm just tryin' to get this shit over with." He was still just as unpleasant as the day before, that was for sure. Without explanation, he began walking across the street and back towards the Feudal District, leaving Kagome behind. He turned his head back, lip curled. "You coming?"

Kagome quickly chased after. "W-where are you going? Why are you taking me back that way isn't that where the Feudal District is? Isn't it dangerous?" She protested, trying to keep up with his fast pace. Why did he always seem to rush off to wherever he was going?

"I feel more comfortable in familiar surroundings. If I'm gonna train you, you're gonna do it my way, so stop your bitching." He turned his nose up, "Besides, I won't let anything happen to ya, Christ."

"You promise?" she pleaded, giving him the poutiest puppy-eyes she could manage.

"Tch." They continued on without much conversation, Kagome watching as their surroundings became less and less appealing. Something told her she would be able to count on him for protection, but it didn't remove the paranoia. There had to be someone in the Feudal District who could out-fight him, and what if they came after them?

In her daydreaming, she finally noticed he wasn't wearing the same red beanie as before, though he was still dressed in the same clothes. "Where's your beanie?" It was kind of a ridiculous question, really. What did it matter? Honestly, she just wanted to make conversation.

"It's too hot to wear that thing, are you serious?" he spat back.

Kagome raised a brow. "Says the guy wearing a red leather jacket."

"This thing isn't just for looks. This jacket has saved me from road-burn on more than one occasion, I'm not about to run around without it." With that explanation, Kagome noticed just how worn the jacket was. It was clear it had taken a beating, and she wondered just what kind of scraps this guy had been through. She couldn't imagine living such a lifestyle.

Inuyasha led her back to the cul de sac where he had rescued her the night before, taking her to a boarded up house towards the back. The grass had grown ridiculously tall, about halfway up the shins, and weeds had begun to overtake the house, the windows boarded up and the siding rotting off. It was a small little house to begin with, but the overpowering vegetation made it seem even smaller. He ran towards the back, motioning for Kagome to follow after, though she found herself distracted by his place of residence. "Hey!" he called, giving her an annoyed stare as she finally followed along.

"This is where you live?" she asked, coming up behind him behind the house as he started moving boards in one of the windows to enter the house from.

"Like I said yesterday: for now." As they entered, he watched the concerned look on her face grow. "What? Not up to your standards?"

She shook her head. "No one should have to live like this..."

Broken glass was lying about all around the house in each of the rooms where youngsters had taken baseball bats and peat in the windows. More than a few of the walls was covered in vulgar graffiti and there were gaping holes in the dry-wall where fights had broken out. The carpets were dirty and the used mattress looked like it had urine stains on it. Dead bugs littered the corners of the room and the ceiling fan in the living room was hanging in shambles from the ceiling. This place should have been condemned.

Inuyasha looked at her for just a moment before shrugging. "Not all of us are as fortunate as you, princess." He started shuffling around the rooms almost in rhythm, having already memorized the mess on the floor. "Don't go poking around, I'll be right back," he called as he disappeared into another room.

She waited, falling back into daydreams. Daydreams about him living here—alone and in the dark. What happened to his family? What did he do about school? Who were his friends, didn't they know what kind of situation he was in? And how lonely... how lonely must it have been to live on the streets, with no place to really be able to call home? Was he ever afraid? Kagome had only just met Inuyasha, but already, her heart was breaking for him. _No one should have to live like this..._

After a bit of banging and other kinds of noise, Inuyasha returned to the living area, his jacket gone. With his arms bare, she could see scares all along his arms, and her heartbreak continued. What on earth had happened to this poor boy? He nodded his head towards the room he returned from. "Come here, this is where we'll train."

Kagome followed him into the back bedroom that he had obviously just cleaned in a hurry; all of the mess that was previously thrown about the floor was shoved into the open closet or against the walls, leaving the middle open for the two of them.

"Aaw, we can't train outside?" she groaned, "It's so nice out, today!"

He shot her a glare. "Look, I told you we do this my way! So stop your whining and just do what I tell you to do!"

"You really have an attitude problem!" she shot back, folding her arms with sass.

Inuyasha made mocking faces at her, planting his feet on the ground and holding his hands out. "Then _do_ something about it!"

"W-what!?" Her hands had instantly dropped back down to her sides, her eyes wide with a little bit of shock. "What do you mean?"

"Come at me!" he ordered, calling her towards him with his hands still stretched out in front of him. When he saw her look of hesitation, he growled back at her, "Don't be such a baby! You asked for this!"

With a sigh, she gathered her courage and ran after him, reaching a fist out that was stopped almost instantly by the boy, his other hand balled into a fist that he lightly tapped against the side of her abdomen to demonstrate his would-be counter.

"You would have been down easily with an attack like that. You leave yourself wide open. Everyone always expects a punch to the face, and you're better off dealing lower blows," he explained, not having changed his position in the slightest. Kagome listened, a little embarrassed at her lack of combative skill. It was clear she needed this training.

She pulled her hands back towards herself. "What should I do, then?"

He gave her a slight smirk, swinging his arms out back and forth in front of himself, loosening up all his joints, "I'll show you."

*** II ***

Kagome hadn't felt this exhausted in a long time, her forehead coated in sweat and her breath getting away from her. Inuyasha barely gave her time to rest during their training. She could swear that maybe he had been enjoying himself after all.

It was dark out by now, the street lights starting to turn on around the cul de sac, and she knew her mother would start to worry. "I think you should take me home now," she said out of breath, pulling herself back up to her feet and leaning against the wall beside Inuyasha who seemed well-composed, "My mom is probably losing her mind right now. I'm gonna get an earful when we get there."

He pulled his jacket back on, "You tell her what happened last night?"

She shook her head. "No. It didn't seem like a good idea to, especially after what you said about the cops. Mom's had enough to be stressed about, anyways. She doesn't need my safety added to the list." Kagome yawned, "As far as she knows, you only escorted me home." She tried to get a look at his face in the dark of the room, the light coming in through the cracks of the boarded windows the only thing illuminating the inside of the house. "You okay to stay here by yourself?"

He rolled his eyes, though she couldn't see it. "I have been every other night. Don't worry about me, I can take care of myself. _You _on the other hand, need to work on your self-defense, still. Wouldn't trust you with my life."

"Are you sure? I could ask my mom to let you stay with us. For the night, at least." She really didn't want to be kept up at night wondering if he was safe. Besides the dangers of living in the streets, that mattress looked like it held about a million different kinds of diseases, and it couldn't be very comfortable.

"I said I'm fine! Come on, let's get you home." He led her back outside of the house without room for argument, helping her out the back window from where they entered before. They headed out under the streetlights, Inuyasha slowing down his fast pace at Kagome's plea.

The Feudal District never slept. Kagome could hear sirens in the distance, could hear the same domestic disputes from the night before. Obnoxious barking sounded from the suburban ghetto and she may have even heard gun-shots somewhere far off. She had to wonder if all this bothered Inuyasha, even just a little bit.

"So... do you have any family at all, Inuyasha?" she asked out of the silence. After what he did for her yesterday, she knew she had to do something for him. If there was anything she could offer him, she hoped that maybe it would be a stable environment.

He grimaced after a short thought. "A cock-sucking asshole for a brother." He said it so bluntly and with so much malice it really took Kagome by surprise.

"I take it you don't get along?" she asked hesitantly, not sure if she should bring up such a thing. Was there anything positive in this boy's life?

"Fuck no. He can burn in hell for all I _fucking_ care!" he growled, gritting his teeth.

"O-oh... is there anybody else, then?"

"Nope."

Kagome was taken aback. Maybe there wasn't any hope for this poor guy after all. Maybe if she dug deeper into his relationship with his brother she could at least find a place for him to stay. They were brothers, they had to love each other a little bit, at least.

"So, why don't you two get along? Did you do anything to him?"

"I didn't do a damn thing to him! We don't have the same mom, so he's probably just being an elitist fuck about it all. And then when died dad he kicked me out of the house. I'm sure dad left him everything and now he's just taking advantage. Family is nothing more than an obligation that I don't want any part of, anyways..." he trailed off, getting lost deep in thought. Kagome watched as he became more distant, and she found herself even more curious about this poor boy. Was his upbringing full of nothing but pain?

She wanted to ask him more, but she wasn't so sure that she should. She had no intention of bringing up painful memories, yet at the same time, she so desperately wanted to understand this guy. There was something more to him, something that she felt like needed to be addressed. Not to mention, he was obviously a much nicer guy underneath his tough-guy façade. What horrible things have happened to him to put such walls up? Kagome was becoming obsessed with this hoodlum from the Feudal District, though she had yet to realize it.

For quite a while, she stared at him, trying to decide what sort of questions she wanted to ask him, which ones were appropriate. At the moment, she was mostly interested in learning more about his childhood and his relationship with his brother. "Is your brother part of a gang?"

He didn't look at her as he answered. "The ring-leader of one, actually. Sesshomaru took dad's place when he died. He lives in the Shikon District and doesn't do business in the streets anymore. Not that he ever really did before, anyways. He's always been too stuck-up for that," he grimaced as though he were looking directly at his brother even now.

"Is that his gang name, too?"

The boy nodded, still frowning. "Means something like 'perfect killer' or something. He's full of himself."

"He doesn't sound like he's easy to get along with."

Inuyasha chuckled, knowing the complete truth in her assumption. "I already explained to you he's not. I'm waiting for one of the rival gangs to waste his ass. The world will be a better place."

She let out a deep breath. "That's harsh," she frowned sadly. Kagome could never wish death on her little brother. She would never wish death on anyone, but especially not her own family. Not after all the death her family had already faced.

*** II ***

Sango stifled her breathing, listening hard as the two men exchanged conversation. If all the information she found that led her here were correct, she just had to pray these men dropped the name that would lead her to Kohaku.

"Have you ever seen the boss's face?" the shorter man asked, lighting up a cigarette as he leaned against the cargo boxes in the cold warehouse.

The taller man, who was also broader than the other, lit up his own cigarette in suit with his partner, shaking his head, "Nah. But I've heard he can be a ruthless fucker. He's demanding more children. Wants 'em around ten years old."

"That's pretty fucked up," he took a long puff, "Goin' after kids like that."

"They're easier to control. Easier to nab, too. Said somethin' about needing more feet in the streets to deal. The drug business is pretty hoppin', ya know? Addicts never sleep, man," he laughed, blowing out a huge puff of smoke.

_Come on, give me a name! _She demanded in thought, growing anxious. She was so close now, she could feel it. Kohaku would be home with her, soon.

The shorter man chuckled, flicking the ash off the end of his cigarette. "Nothing truer. I really wonder what a guy who calls himself Naraku looks like, though. 'Hell?' That's a pretty bold title for a drug lord."

Naraku. _I'll be getting a good look at him_, she thought, _when I put him in his grave._

* * *

**A/N: Aaah, Chapter Two is up! This fanfiction is actually a lot easier to write than I was thinking it might. It's a little reminiscent of What You Are for me, the words just sort of come out naturally, for the most part-which is good! Very good! I definitely feel like I'm getting better at writing chapters out that are of decent length, so this is a plus! It's nice to see that I'm progressing in skill level when it comes to writing prose. **

**Miroku will be introduced in the next chapter! **

**I really hope you guys are all enjoying this fic! I really enjoy writing it and the scenes just come to me with such ease! Thank you for reading, and constructive criticism is always welcome!**

**~Lully**


	3. Pervert Patrolling

**WARNING: THIS FIC CONTAINS SCENES OF VIOLENCE, SEXUAL ASSAULT, GRAPHIC LANGUAGE, CHILD ABUSE  
AND DEATH OF A FAMILY MEMBER. PLEASE BE AWARE AND CAUTIOUS. THANK YOU.**

* * *

**Three. Pervert Patrolling**

In the dim, neon lights of the club, scantily clad women danced on poles, laps and other things while drunkards watched and fondled them. Among these drunk men, surprisingly, was a young police officer, small, rat-tail ponytail at the base of his neck, right hand gloved. He was still in uniform, his cruiser parked just outside. While the rest of the gentlemen in the area were uneasy and kept their distance, the girls of the club were all quite friendly with him like they all knew him very well. He was, after all, a usual customer.

"So," a woman with fire-truck red hair and chocolate brown eyes began, leaning into him where he sat, "Are you off duty, Officer Miroku?"

He shook his head with a smile. "Unfortunately, no. Pulling a double shift, today. I'm lucky to have an extra moment to spend with you lovely ladies."

As if on cue, his radio went off, urging him to take care of a disturbance in the area. The women groaned with disappointment, latching on to him. "Do you really have to go? Stay with us a while!"

"Yeah, the rest of them behave better when you're around!"

Miroku laughed, getting on his feet and heading towards the door. "I'll be back soon, girls. But duty calls!" He clearly had an enlarged ego when around the women, or perhaps that was just who he was in general? The young officer headed out the door and into his police cruiser, flipping on his lights and speeding off in the direction of the call. He knew the area well, not only because the Feudal District was his usual patrolling area, but because he was very well acquainted with some of the people in this specific area.

Just ahead, Miroku could see another set of lights flashing in the near distance and a small group of people standing along the side of the road, one a woman, a man in cuffs sitting alongside the curb, and two other officers. He parked his cruiser just behind the other and joined the group. "So, what's going on here?"

"We got a call about a violent dispute from one of the residents, but this woman is refusing to cooperate with us," the older officer explained, hands on his belt.

The small woman, just as scantily clad as the women in the club Miroku had just come from, pointed directly at the older officer. "He's accusing me of being a prostitute! Why should I tell him anything when he's being so damn disrespectful of me? He could learn something from you, Officer Miroku!"

_B-but you __**are**__ a prostitute,_ he thought. The other officers gave him a look of surprise.

"You know this woman?" the younger of them asked, suddenly questionable of Miroku's supposed social affairs.

Miroku nodded a little hesitantly. "Yeah, she's a family friend. And she's no prostitute, so I think it would be in your best interest to stop being so accusatory." Success, he could tell they had bought his lie. He rested his own hands on his belt, looking casual. "Now, what was this violent dispute about, Miss? I take it you're the one who called?"

She nodded. "'Course I am! This motherfucker over here," she pointed to the man in cuffs on the curb, to which he replied: "She's a lying whore!" and she responded with a middle finger as she continued to explain, "attacked me! Put his hands on me and tried to force his nasty ass on me! Lock him up and throw away the key! Pigs like him shouldn't be on the streets. It ain't sanitary."

Officer Miroku looked her over. "Are you hurt?"

The woman looked around her body before finding a dark bruise on her left arm, displaying it for the three policemen. "Right here. The bastard got me pretty good, looks like."

"Have you two questioned them both yet?" Miroku asked after having observed the bruise on her arm. The other officers nodded.

"I see. I'm sorry, Shima, but I'm gonna question you again, since I'm here. Kinda part of my job, regardless," he shrugged with a smile. He was a lot less standoffish than most other officers around this District.

She didn't seem too put off by what he had to say, though it was obvious she preferred him over the other two, anyways. While they went over things again, the other policemen spoke with one of the residents who had made the 9-1-1 call, who backed up the woman's story. He was arrested on charges of sexual assault, easily. Miroku sent the other officers away with the fiend in the back of the cruiser while he stayed behind with the woman.

"You are a godsend, Officer Miroku. These streets would be terrifying without you around," she praised him, her eyes flirty. It was clear she was more than just fond of him.

He laughed nervously, getting back into his own cruiser. "I'm just trying to do my job. Now, I know you remember what we talked about last time I saw you! When are you gonna get off the streets and let me make a wife out of you, eh?"

"Wish it were that easy, Officer!"

"You're a smart girl, Shima," he smiled genuinely, leaning out of the window, "The only kind of men you're gonna find in your line of work are all the wrong ones. You deserve better than that. So go put an application in at the grocery store like I said. I'll put in a good word for you, kay?"

Miroku watched as she became flustered. "Yeah? You really think I'm smart?"

He nodded. "Of course I do! Now promise you'll put in that application." He pointed at her with a stern look that was obviously more for show. He was absolutely terrible at being serious.

"I promise."

*** III ***

"So," Kagome started, "You think I'm ready to take on all the bad guys on my own?" She jumped around enthusiastically, jabbing her elbow into the air and throwing some punches. Inuyasha raised a brow at her behavior, she completely unaware of how unthreatening she appeared.

He rolled his eyes, "No, definitely not."

She suddenly stepped in front of him, forcing him to stop without warning, and he almost fell right into her. "You're gonna keep training me then, right? You can't send me away defenseless, ya know!"

The boy looked her up and down, an awkward grimace on his face. She had her tiny fists brought up to her chest, her eyes pressing him for an answer. The pink ribbon holding her hair in a half-ponytail made her look especially young and innocent, and it was hard to believe someone so absolutely feminine would be so dead set on learning how to fight, let alone spend time with someone like him. He gave an irritated sigh, looking away from her. "Guess I don't have a choice, do I?"

Kagome jumped up and clapped her hands, "Yay! So, we'll meet tomorrow? Same place same time?" They continued to walk back towards her home which was only a few blocks away by now. She skipped along merrily, hands playing with her hair as they went.

"Sure, but I can't Saturday. Got other shit to do."

"That's alright. I need to spend more time with Kaede and Sota, anyways. We really need each other..." She trailed off, some heart-breaking memories resurfacing.

Inuyasha showed signs of curiosity, his eyes looking at her waiting for her to explain as he fidgeting with the junk in his pockets. "They your siblings?"

Kagome nodded. "Yeah. I'm the oldest..."

He could tell this wasn't a subject she wanted to continue talking about as her voice became quieter and her tone more melancholic. She wasn't looking at him, and he could see that she had fallen deep in thought. He couldn't help but wonder what she was thinking about, what sort of memories maybe had resurfaced and made her down.

They finally arrived back at the street corner, and they stood awkwardly as they tried to decide how to leave each other. Inuyasha kicked at the ground, hands still in his pockets as Kagome continued to nervously pull her fingers through her hair.

"So, you'll meet me here tomorrow, then?" Kagome began a little awkwardly. She suddenly noticed that the sun was setting and his face seemed so much softer in this lighting. There was definitely a kindness in his eyes that she was just now seeing. She couldn't help but notice how attractive he actually was.

Inuyasha leaned against the stop sign on one shoulder, giving her a slight nod and smirk. "Sure. Same time, right?"

She gave him a smile and a feminine wave. "Alright. I'll see you then, okay? Be safe, Inuyasha!" With that, she ran off towards home, her nerves suddenly making it hard for her to be around him any longer. It wasn't often she found herself attracted to someone.

"You, too, Kagome." By the time he could say it, she was already gone. He found himself smiling, watching her get up to the house and inside before he headed back to his own district.

*** III ***

She stared at the ceiling in the dark. It had been an hour since she laid down but she couldn't get it in her to fall asleep. For the first time in two years, Kagome was finally feeling some sort of attraction for someone else, and even before then, it didn't happen very often. But the two of them probably had next to nothing in common, anyways, and she was probably not even close to his type, regardless. Still, she couldn't stop thinking about how pretty his eyes looked then at the street corner. It was becoming worrisome.

"Go to sleep, Kagome," she said to herself out loud, growing frustrated.

_Kagome went to throw a punch at him for the millionth time, but on the way she fell into him due to her own force. Inuyasha reached his hands out for her, catching her before she could fall to the ground, one hand under her belly and the other holding her elbow. _

"_You really gotta plant your feet better than that. Shoulder-length apart. Yeah, like that. You have to have a nice balance or else..." _

It was like she could still feel his hands catching her, and she felt her face heat up and butterflies flutter in her stomach. "I barely know him!" she scolded herself, but she found herself going back to more memories of earlier that afternoon.

_He was standing directly behind her, his chin just over her left shoulder and his hands on her fists, directing her punches as he explained. Despite all of the callouses on his palms and his nails filed to claws, his touch was incredibly gentle. Everything about his body movements was very aware of her presence and her frailty in comparison to himself. He was very aware of his body, and Kagome wondered if he realized how flustered he made her. She was having a very hard time concentration to what he was saying to her. _

_Inuyasha turned his face to look at her mid-sentence, and she noticed how long his eyelashes were. Why did boys always have such long eyelashes? Did he realize how absolutely close their faces were just now? Maybe she was the only one thinking like this. _

"Why is this happening to me? Why can't I just have one day? ONE DAY?" She grumbled loudly, rolling over and burying herself in the blankets. How was she supposed to handle all that interaction with him tomorrow? Why did she have to be attracted to him? Why couldn't he be hideous or something? Kagome didn't have time to be getting stupid crushes on people. It wasn't even that she was falling for _him _specifically, just that he was rather good looking. It was all purely physical, and she didn't want anything to do with it right now. Especially not with someone from the Feudal District. If there was anything Kagome was certain of, it was that she wanted nothing to do with gangs ever.

*** III ***

The flame lit up the entire room from out of the blackness. He'd been playing with that lighter for the past five minutes, watching it illuminate and then blowing it out to drop him back into darkness. It was really a pain, not having electricity.

_She really does look like her..._

Inuyasha let his head fall back against the wall and he let out a heavy sigh. This was the work of a cruel fate...

*** III ***

"Let me go! _Let me go!" _

Miroku shot his head in the direction of the distressed voice. Whomever she was, she was being escorted through the halls, and from the sound of it, she was not cooperating. He waited for them to pass by the door so he could get a look, always interested to see another woman's face if he was given the chance, and it appeared he wasn't the only one as more head's shot towards the open door.

A blur of pink and black passed by with two men in uniform. He could see her hair was pulled back in a long ponytail, the sleeves of her black shirt rolled up to her elbows, riding gloves on her hands and a pink jean, studded vest accenting the pink eye-shadow over her eyes. The pants and boots she wore were made of a black leather, and she was definitely putting up a fight with the two officers, still ordering them to take their hands off of her. Miroku thought he heard something about them being incompetent and "lazy-fucks," too.

The others at the desks put their focus back on their work, some shaking their heads.

"It's Sango, again. When is she gonna give up?" a short, stout desk worker with dark circles and bags under his eyes stated, going back through his work. His name-plate read: Hachi, and his desk was covered with papers and almost every one of them had coffee stains on them.

Miroku sat on the edge of Hachi's desk, crumpling up some of his important papers as he did. "Give up what, Hachi?"

Hachi gave him a frustrated look, not even trying to hide his frown. "Her little brother went missing a few months ago. Leads went dry but she refuses to accept that it's a lost cause, now."

Miroku raised a brow. "Well, it's obvious where her dislike of policemen comes from. So, what does she keep doing to end up here?" He couldn't put his finger on it, but there was something about that woman. He needed to help her. It was his job, after all, and if there was anything Miroku was devoted to, it was doing his job and going above and beyond expectations. He lived for the job. From the moment he was given a badge, Miroku was known around the station as an overachiever, and he prided himself in taking on the more difficult cases that came in.

"She's become something of a vigilante. Hunting down drug dealers and speeding through town on her motorcycle, mostly. I admire her determination but she can't just take the law into her own hands like that. She isn't just putting her own life in danger, but everyone around her, too. Guess I do feel bad for her, though. That brother of hers was all she had left. See, her parents were killed in gang violence when she was little. She's been taking care of him for the past year, now." Hachi sighed and took a big gulp of his coffee.

The officer looked back towards the door, still able to hear her screaming at the cops dragging her through the halls in the distance. "Has anyone tried working with her? The case isn't closed, is it? There still isn't a body, right?"

Hachi shook his head. "It's still open, but it's gone cold. I can tell you right now no one's investigating it right now, not with all this backup we've got."

Miroku stood to his feet and followed the direction of her angry cries before Hachi could ask him where he was going. He pulled around the corner where she was being presented to the police chief, and it was obvious he was trying to have a discussion with her that she was having no part in. The Chief had long, black, braided hair and wore a slick suit, his skin dark and his shoulders broad. When Miroku approached them, he seemed surprised to see him.

"Officer Miroku? You aren't around here very often—streets not offering you enough work?" he laughed, "Would you give me a minute, I'm got some other business I have to deal with."

"That's actually what I'm here to talk to you about, Chief Bankotsu. If it were okay with you, I'd like to work with Miss Sango. What is she being detained for?" She snapped her gaze directly at him, almost burning holes in his head. He looked young and stupid, let alone was in uniform, and she already knew she didn't want anything to do with him.

Chief Bankotsu chuckled. "I suppose. You do always seem to be very good with the ladies of this district. She was caught trespassing at the Edo Warehouse. If I leave her in your care, I trust she won't be in my office again?" He gave Miroku a knowing look before sitting at the edge of his desk, almost sitting on his nameplate.

Miroku nodded. "I certainly hope not."

"Then you have my permission."

Sango glared at everyone in the room. "I don't need any of you to work with me! I can find Kohaku on my own, you just mind your own goddamned business!" It was as if fire would come sparking out of her eyes at any moment. Miroku knew working with her wasn't going to be a walk in the park, but his curiosity and attraction was getting the better of him by now. He was looking forward to speaking one-on-one with this feisty vigilante, even if it meant she was going to give him hell.

The young officer led her out of the room. "So, your name is Sango, right? I'm Officer Miroku. Wanna tell me your story?"

"Cut the crap," she spat, "I've dealt with plenty of your kind before and I'm not here to waste my time. I have much more important things to do."

"Like find your brother, Kohaku? I wanna help you, if you'll let me." His tone was so genuine, but Sango wasn't about to let herself fall for it.

"I don't need your help," she grumbled, practically growling. "I don't need any pig's help, so the whole lot of you can stay away from me while I actually do something about what happened. You're all so incompetent!"

_Her hatred runs deep, _he almost laughed out loud from nerves. "I really hate to see a beautiful girl like you upset." She was giving him a look of complete shock and disgust, but he almost didn't seem to notice, "You should let me help you out. It's my job. I can't speak for the other officers, but I can tell you that I do my damnedest to serve. So, you should tell me what I can do to help you." He grinned, opening the door to let her outside of the station.

But she didn't give him an answer. Instead, she ran off as fast as she could, and he stood there baffled. "That could've gone better."

* * *

**Author's Note: Okay, let's try this again! I tried uploading this earlier today and it didn't take, so I made some edits and I'm gonna try again! Hopefully it goes through this time! **

**Miroku has been introduced along with Police Chief Bankotsu and Hachi. Now, I can start to get the plot moving along, though there are still some characters to be introduced, next being Rin, of course. 3 And possibly someone else! **

**Constructive Criticism is always welcome! Thank you for reading!**

**~Lully**


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